


set my heart on fire

by FunnyLittleOwl



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, In a Heartbeat!AU, Literal heartbreak, M/M, Sochi!AU, Victor's heart loved Yuuri first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:12:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunnyLittleOwl/pseuds/FunnyLittleOwl
Summary: In a world where a broken heart was a literal condition, it was unbelievable to think any owner could be so careless with their own beating organs.Victor Nikiforov was.So it wasn't the least surprising when his Heart decided to take matters into its hands.(Inspired by the short In a Hearbeat.)





	set my heart on fire

**Author's Note:**

> If you still haven't seen the animated short film [In a Heartbeat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REkk9SCRn0), you are very welcome.
> 
> This story came to me after watching it and it was heavily inspired by it. What if Victor's actual heart was a force at play trying to get them together at the GPF banquet?

 

 _Hang in there_ , Victor told his Heart for the seventh time that day. _We’ll go back upstairs in a second._

Heart wasn’t having any of it. In a world where a broken heart was a literal condition, it was unbelievable to think any owner could be so careless with their own beating organs.

Victor Nikiforov was.

 _But it hurts, it hurts, it hurts_ , Heart pleaded, pumping in time with its words.

 _Where does it hurt?_ , Victor asked mindlessly, treating Liver to a third dose of champagne. Whatever the old drunk did, he probably didn’t deserve it.

Heart wasn’t jealous, but… it was _quite_ sure there were other organs that deserved better treatment today. They all helped their owner win the Grand Prix Final for the fifth consecutive time, all of them tirelessly working themselves to the bone until Ears heard from the outside world that victory was secured and a medal was thrown around Victor’s Neck.

However, that day seemed to be far from over yet. Since Hands and Arms started preparing Victor for the banquet that night, Heart started having these strange… palpitations. Not the usual kind - the sweet _thump thump_ of a job well done - but the bad kind, the one that had Brain watching closely, ready to send reports to the System as soon as proven necessary.

 _Hurts right here, in the middle_ , Heart said with a sigh.

 _Again?_ , Victor continued in the same detached tone, multitasking as he talked to Yakov and a handful of sponsors on a much external layer.

 _Yes, Victor!_ , Heart blurted out in exasperation.  _You still haven’t fed me! I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m hungry!_

 _I have bandages_ , Victor tried to reason. _If you only give me a second, I will…_

 _I don’t want bandages! Please, Victor, don’t mend me like that anymore. It won’t hold, I’ve grown too resistant to them. Why won’t you just feed me?_ , Heart inquired, beating faster and faster as the pain finally took over.

Victor put a hand to his chest with a wince, not being able to ignore the little voice inside him.

_You feed them all, the whole lot! You keep Brain motivated, you give Lungs whatever exercise they ask, even Stomach gets a treat most days! It’s just me you leave to starve. Why? Why do you despise me so?_

_I don’t! I’m not doing in on purpose. I’m not trying to hurt you, my heart. I never meant to. I just… don’t know what to do with you_ , Victor confessed.

 _You don’t know… what to do with me?_ , Heart repeated slowly.

It was true. Victor had no idea what hearts were for. That was precisely why Heart had to show him. If Heart could think critically, though, it would know this was a very bad idea.

But Heart didn’t think, did it? It felt, and it hurt... and it longed to love, and love, and love.

 _Thankfully for you, I do_ , Heart smiled. _I know exactly what to do._

It was then that Heart did what no other heart has ever thought to do.

Heart took a leap forward.

It escaped.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Heart was free.

It bounced and bounced and bounced through the room, under dresses and tables and shoes, trying to get away from Victor’s insistent pleas.

Heart looked around excitedly, at last seeing the world with its own eyes. _I’ll find them, I’ll find them, I’ll find them!_

Heart was sure it could do it if only it was left to its own devices for a few minutes. They must be here, Heart could even introduce them! But, no, the poor thing had to hurry, because Victor was attempting to corner it between a wall and a moving tray; he ducked with his hands stretched out so to catch it, but Heart was quicker.

Heart bounced to the other side of the ballroom, Victor following close behind. People were starting to stare, no doubt judging their behaviour from the privacy of their own minds. Heart didn’t care.

_Wait, wait, wait!_

Heart made a speedy turn to investigate strange activities happening at the center of the room. Victor made a move to grab it again, but Hand was slippery and Heart went flying away, landing right in someone’s glass of champagne.

From that high point of view, Heart could inspect the room much better. _Why are they installing a dance pole? This is new._

The person holding the glass must have thought the same, because they started staggering their way towards it, swaying just enough to make Heart a little sick.

 _Could you please stop?_ , Heart swam around in the glass, turning to take a look at its inefficient human transportation.

It never got a chance to, though, and Heart would always look back fondly on this bittersweet moment for as long as Victor lived.

It happened like this:

   Victor spotted Heart and came running furiously in their direction, just as the person suddenly dropped the glass and Heart fell down in a cascade of golden liquid towards the ground.

      Victor then slipped on his own heart and collided against the man, both of them ending up in what resembled a very awkward tango pose.

         Heart was wet, bruised and a bit embarrassed from where it stood in smiling shreds on the carpet, but it had never once seen a man so beautiful.

            Heart was… enamoured.

 

 

The pain had passed. Nothing mattered anymore.

Was that how it was supposed to feel? No one had ever mentioned how lovely it felt to be torn apart.

That night, Victor forgot his heart out on the dance floor.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yuuri was gone.

Heart knew his name, because once the spell was broken and maintenance was called to clean the floor, Victor came back to look for it, between empty bottles and red wine stains.

He wasn’t the same man from before, but then again, so wasn’t Heart.

They both had known love and lost it over the course of one night.

Victor cradled his broken heart in his arms and they cried,      

                                                                                      and cried,

                                                                                                   and cried.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Victor wore his heart on his sleeve nowadays.

It was too fragile to leave it where Victor couldn’t see it. Not that it was weak now, far from it: Victor slept with it by his side, took it to practice and spun it round and round, threw it like a ball for Makkachin to play. He showered his heart with love, from wherever he could find it - apart from his inexperience, he had learned his lesson at last.

Some days, it was almost enough. Other days, it wasn’t even fake.

Yuuri might not love him back, but Victor had finally learned to love himself.

He set on a date to announce his retirement. He had been meaning to do this for so long; it still didn’t feel real. Brain had the speech planned ahead: Victor would say he planned on taking care of personal matters he had left aside for too long.

Victor gathered Body and Mind together and promised he’d take better care of them from now on. Victor then made them all promise to take care of Heart too, at least until they all figured out a way to fix their core for good.

However, nothing they tried seemed to put it back together again. Heart sighed at every corner, discontent. It longed for Yuuri and Yuuri alone.

Victor could understand.

Every inch of Victor longed for Yuuri was well.

His body missed his touch, his laughter, his scent, and most importantly, the way he had made him feel. Did Yuuri’s heart not feel the same?

Was Yuuri’s heart just too well fed to even notice Victor’s clumsy attempts to steal it?

He was ashamed he let it come to this. It was all his fault, and now his heart didn’t beat anymore.

 _I’m sorry_ , Victor told his heart with deep, abiding sorrow.

It never answered these days.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Victor nestled his heart delicately on the couch and tried to convince himself it felt as comfortable as a nurtured, warm chest. Heart didn’t seem to mind either way.

He’s been trying to distract it with the TV recently - old movies that spoke of free will and the call for adventure at places unknown. When that didn’t work, Victor stopped pretending he knew what to do next.

He was completely, utterly at loss... and then his phone dinged. Once. Then twice. Again and again, until a familiar rhythm was formed. Victor hadn’t heard the sound in so long, he didn’t answer it right away.

 _Ba-dump, ba-dump_ , called out Victor’s phone.

That night, Heart was resting on a pile of cushions when they both saw him.

Eyes on the small screen, there he was.

 

                                                                                                                          _Yuuri._ **_Yuuri_ ** _._

_Yuuri._

_Yuuri._

_Yuuri.                                       Yuuri._

_Yuuri. Yuuri.                                Yuuri._

_Yuuri.         Yuuri.                          Yuuri._

_Yuuri.               Yuuri.                      Yuuri._

_Yuuri.                    Yuuri.                   Yuuri._

_Yuuri.                         Yuuri.                Yuuri._

_Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri.                               Yuuri.            Yuuri._

_Yuuri.        Yuuri._

_Yuuri. Yuuri._

 

 

  
Yuuri danced like he longed for something as well.

Something he’d forgotten on the dance floor, alongside Victor’s broken heart. Could it be?

Music wasn’t necessary to his Ears.

They could all hear his Heart beat ( _and beat and beat and beat_ ).

 

 

                                                                                                                **Yuuri.**

_Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri.                                                              Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri_

_Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri.                                          Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri_

_Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri.           Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri_

_Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri._

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: The heartbeat graphs towards the end got unformatted in mobile devices. I really don't know how to fix it. If you do, I'm open to your suggestions, hahah!
> 
> I swore to myself I'd give it some time before writing Victuuri again (the travel!series JUST updated, things are crazy at work and there are a million things going on), but... this short film happened.
> 
> I wrote this at the course of this afternoon and decided to post it without thinking too hard about it. As always, this story hasn't been beta'd and English is not my first language, so you'll just have to deal with my mistakes like I do everyday, lol.
> 
> If you liked it anyway, please let me know! I always reply to every comment and they make me very happy <3
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](http://funny-little-owl.tumblr.com/) and twitter if you ever feel like talking about YOI <3


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